Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-8614
Authors: Schulz, Ann-Christin
Kasinger, Christoph
Beutel, Manfred
Fegert, Jörg M.
Clemens, Vera
Brähler, Elmar
Title: Adverse childhood experiences growing up in East or West Germany or abroad
Online publication date: 10-Feb-2023
Year of first publication: 2022
Language: english
Abstract: Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur before the age of 18. The term encompasses various adverse childhood experiences, e.g., physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, physical and psychological neglect, and family dysfunction. Prevalence estimates for a broad spectrum of ACEs against the background of where childhood and adolescence were spent are scarcely available in Germany. This study examines the frequencies of adverse childhood experiences, considering growing up in East or West Germany or abroad and interacting with different age cohorts and gender. Methods: A total of 5,018 individuals (51.4% female) aged 14 years and older were retrospectively assessed on adverse childhood experiences using questionnaires “adverse childhood experiences” (ACE). Logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between birth cohort, gender, and where a person grew up. Descriptive statistics and univariate analyses were used to calculate frequencies, proportions, and unadjusted associations for each variable. Results: 37.4% (N = 1,878) of respondents reported experiencing at least one form of ACE. Individuals who grew up abroad report significantly more adverse childhood experiences than individuals in East or West Germany. Men and women who grew up in East Germany reported a lower rate of ACEs. We found significant effects for all predictors: Where childhood and adolescence were predominantly spent, year of birth, and gender. Significant differences in the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences within the gender groups were only found for sexual and physical abuse and substance dependence in the household. Conclusion: The results suggest that the socio-political context plays an essential role in the experience of adverse childhood experiences, both in frequency and risk. Thus, child abuse and neglect studies should increasingly focus on societal risk and protection mechanisms.
DDC: 610 Medizin
610 Medical sciences
Institution: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Department: FB 04 Medizin
Place: Mainz
ROR: https://ror.org/023b0x485
DOI: http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-8614
Version: Published version
Publication type: Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Document type specification: Scientific article
License: CC BY
Information on rights of use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Journal: Frontiers in psychiatry
13
Pages or article number: 908668
Publisher: Frontiers Research Foundation
Publisher place: Lausanne
Issue date: 2022
ISSN: 1664-0640
Publisher DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.908668
Appears in collections:DFG-491381577-G

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